Level 1: Letter Hunt

Rhythm & Rhyme: Connections to Print

Level 1 Activities help a child develop an “ear” for the spoken language. When surrounded with oral talk, the hearing, identifying , and matching similar word patterns flourishes. This is the foundational building block for reading.

The following activities help build the connections between the sound(s) to the printed alphabet letter(s).

Early Literacy Foundational Skills

• Sound (Phoneme) Matching

  • listen & detect similar sounds at the beginning (onset) of a word

  • listen & detect similar sounds at the ending (rime) of a word

• Syllable Counting

  • listen, detect, & count syllables (beats) within a word

• Word Counting

  • listen, detect, & count words in a sentence or phrase

Letter Hunt

GOAL: sound matching & matching letters to sounds

Materials:

• alphabet letter cards

Preparation:

• Hide the alphabet letter cards around the room.

Directions:

1. Invite the child to find ONE card.

2. Have the child say the sound of the card they found.

3. Repeat Steps 1 & 2.

CHALLENGE:

• After finding and saying the letter sound, have them find an object in the room beginning with that sound.

• After finding and saying the letter sound, have them name an object beginning with that sound.

HELPFUL TIPS:

• Always model first until the child is comfortable with this activity.